Travel Documents for Residents and Refugees
If you are in the United States with permanent resident status then you are allowed to leave the country and return on your permanent residence card ("green card"). However, you may find that for any number of reasons you have to be outside the country for more than one year. Because the USCIS determines that you have abandoned your permanent resident status if you remain outside of the United States for more than one year, you must apply for a reentry permit that will preserve your status during your stay abroad.
In order to preserve your immigration status, you should file Form I-131, "Application for Travel Document."
This form also provides travel documents for those who are classified under refugee status or temporary parole status traveling to or from the United States.
Permanent and conditional residents must establish a period of continuous residence in the United States for at least five years-three years if married to a U.S. citizen-in order to establish the conditions necessary to apply for naturalization. If you will be outside of the United States for more than one year and return on a reentry permit, it does not continue the period of continuous residency-that period restarts. In some cases, you may be able to preserve your permanent or conditional residency by approval of Form N-470, "Application to Preserve Residence for Naturalization Purposes."
Form I-131 Application
In order to obtain a reentry permit or refugee travel document, you must submit Form I-131 to the Nebraska Service Center by mail. If you are an advance parolee, you must submit the form to either the Chicago Lockbox address or the Texas or Nebraska Service Center, depending on the legal provision associated with your status and your state of residence. Some Form I-131 filings may be done online.
The USCIS will then issue you an appointment to collect the required biometrics information if you are between the ages of 14 and 79 at an approved Application Support Center (ASC).
While you may have your reentry permit sent to any U.S. embassy or consulate abroad for your convenience, you must be physically present in the United States when you submit your application in order to collect the appropriate biometrics information. If you are not able to collect this information because you have gone abroad already, your application for a reentry permit or travel document will be denied.
Visa Application Fees
There is a filing fee of $305 to be paid along with submission of the application, regardless of which travel documents you are seeking. Additionally, the new biometrics requirements entail an $80 biometrics fee, which, unlike the application fee, may be waived with support documentation proving inability to pay.
Special Considerations for Refugee Travel Documents
Individuals classified as asylees should know that if they plan to leave the United States and enter the country in which they claim persecution, their legal asylum may be ended if the government determines they are abandoning their protection in the United States.
Find a Guide Through the Complexities of Travel Documents with Help from an Immigration Rep
For more detailed information from the USCIS concerning either reentry permits or refugee travel documents, view the Form I-131 instructions, available from the USCIS.
If you'd like to speak with an immigration team member, simply fill out our Immigration Case Evaluation Form.